Five-year-old boy killed in two-vehicle crash

A five-year-old boy died Wednesday evening when the van he was travelling in was hit by a pickup truck just outside Halifax.

The truck, driven by a 34-year-old Halifax man, hit the oncoming van driven by a father with his two young sons inside, the RCMP said.

“The vehicle lost control on the side of the road, and as the driver tried to correct it, he over-corrected and ended up hitting the side of the Ford Escape,” said Sgt. Mike Lidstone of Halifax District RCMP.

The impact made the Escape spin around.

The driver of the pickup didn’t appear to have been speeding, Lidstone said, but the weather and resulting slippery roads were an important factor in the collision.

Emergency crews responded at about 7 p.m. to the accident at Timberlea Village Parkway and Brunello Boulevard. They tried to save the five-year-old but he died en route to the hospital, Lidstone said.

His eight-year-old brother was also taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, including facial wounds, Lidstone said. The boys’ father was not hurt.

The driver of the pickup was also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said a news release from the RCMP.

Timberlea Village Parkway was closed for at least four hours while accident reconstructionists investigated.